Two Kings

Chapter 23

Marco takes a swig of wine, looking unconcerned as he wipes his mouth on the sleeve of his jumper and drops his smoke into the half-filled bottle of wine. But I pull myself up a tad anxious, not sure what Rico makes of us sitting cozy together. "You look well," I say, smiling up at him. And he does. The way his lean body fills his black trousers and black shirt makes me sigh in appreciation of how sexy he is. "How are you feeling?"

The moment his lip curls into a snarl, I brace for the nasty Rico.

"What's going on here?" he asks, ignoring my question and waving a finger between Marco and me.

Marco shrugs. "How about you mind your business and I'll mind mine?"

"Don't mess with me, dickhead! She is my business!"

"And here I was thinking things were changing," I say.

"Clearly something changed," Rico counters. "Only with you and my brother."

"That's right, bro. I've been enjoying your wife while you were gone."

I slap Marcos' thigh with wide eyes. "Omg, stop, please. You make it sound shady."

Rico pulls a face. "I'm not in the mood for your fucked up jokes, Marco."

Marco's brows go up and down several times. "Who said I was joking?"

With that, Rico's face flushes, and he slams his foot into the little box seat. I throw my legs over the side of the lounge and jump to my feet, hoping to defuse Rico's anger as the box seat smashes against the wall. "Stop, please!"

Rico points a threatening finger at Marco. "Do not fuck with me! And never touch what's mine, or you'll end up hurt!"

"Yours, she's not yours." Marco tells him. "Since when do you want her, anyway?"

Rico's face hardens, the vein in his neck pulsing as if he's ready to pounce on his brother. But I'm not sticking around to watch them fight, so I turn my attention to Marco. "I adore you but stay out of our marriage." Then I turn to Rico and say, "I'm not yours. So why don't you go hassle the psycho bitch you share your bed with and leave me be?"

Rico snarls. "You're impossible, woman!"

I grab my phone from the table and walk away, pissed off by what he's implying. Within a moment, I'm approaching the lift and wondering why my interactions with Rico always lead to an issue?

"Where are you going?" Rico calls out. "I wanna know what's going on with you and him!"

"Leave me alone!" I stop at the lift, press the button for the second floor, and then fold my arms across my chest, watching him approach through the stainless-steel doors. He stops behind me, his breath hits my neck. The gentle smell of his perspiration and manly scent has me breathing him in. He smells so nice, so fresh, so manly.

As soon as the lift arrives and the doors open, I step inside and turn round to see him enter behind me. We hold each other's gaze as the elevator pings and the doors shut. He steps in closer but keeps inches between us.

"I don't want you giving my brother any ideas." He tells me.

I lift my chin defiantly and meet his eyes. "I'm not. Besides, he has his own mind. He does as he wants, just as you do."

"I don't care." His thin nostrils flare. "Stay away from him."

My eyes narrow in on his, wondering if he's envious. But of course with Rico it could be something else, as in him trying to protect his reputation. "Why?"

"You know why?"

"No, I don't. But I know intimidation won't stop me from being friends with your brother."

"He wants you."

Now I am aware of my rising chest and deep breaths as I hear the possessiveness in his tone. He's jealous. He's actually jealous. Instead of playing with his feelings and causing more issues, I state the truth, "believe me when I say I don't want your brother, we're only friends."

"That doesn't mean he doesn't want you."

I take a step closer to him, press my finger to his chest and say, "trust me, he's not the brother I want."

Rico lifts his chin and glares down at me. "I get the feeling you'd pick him every day of the week over me?"

I can't help but smile. "You heard me."

He nods. "I did."

I stand on tiptoe and get right in his face and whisper, "I think you know who I'd pick."

With that, Rico comes at me, his mouth covering mine. Our mouths go at it hard, not slow and gentle, but fast, feverishly fast, like we're on fast forward and have to cram a five-minute kiss into thirty seconds.

Rico pins me in the corner of the lift with his mouth. Then he spreads my thighs with his hand and presses against me, allowing me to feel the lifeblood of his desire.

A sudden, hungry, needy eruption of lust has me taking him in my hand, ready to drop to my knees as I whisper against his lips. "Ding-ding-ding, you guessed right."

He grabs my arse with both hands and groins against my mouth. "I want you."

The lift pings, the doors open, and then I hear someone gasp and say, "Goodness gracious!" The sound of Nonna's voice has Rico breaking free from me first, leaving me panting and staring into his grandmother's puckered brow and tight lips; she's annoyed, like she just caught us fucking on her kitchen bench.

"Well, isn't this uncomfortable," Nonna says, as her eyes move between Rico and me. "What if the twins were with me, Rico?... And the fact that you both have bedrooms you could have gone to," she clicks her tongue and shakes her head. "Shame on the both of you for carrying on in such a way, and in the lift," her eyes swell, "for everyone to see."

Rico blows out a heavy breath, still looking his sexy self-assured self, but not saying one thing out of line to his grandmother. I love how she can command this kind of respect from him when he doesn't give two fucks about who he offends. But for her, his sweet old granny, he's another person. I can feel myself melting on the spot. He may be a brute at times, but to see him put his own self-importance to the side and give his grandmother the respect she deserves makes me want to kiss him stupid.

"I'm sorry." I say, even though I'm not. "It was inappropriate to be acting that way in the lift." I drag my lip through my teeth, annoyed that we've upset Nonna but also frustrated that things had to end so abruptly. Fact is, I could barely put the brakes on, and each time we have these encounters it's getting harder to walk away.

My eyes dart to Rico and I motion with my eyes to the obvious bulge in the front of his pants. His gaze drops and he mouths 'shit' and then pulls his shirt from his pants to cover up.

I force back the smile as I taste him on my lips and in my mouth.

"You two need to be more careful where you have theses.... Discussions," Nonna adds. "Oh, and your girlfriend is looking for you as we speak. You're lucky it was me and not her, Rico. If you intend on this happening again, I think you need to figure out who you want here and who you don't."

Rico doesn't say a word.

I blow out a breath, my skin clammy from the inferno burning inside of me. I clear my throat, ready to do a hasty retreat to my room before I find myself in any more trouble today. Last thing I want is Gia appearing at such as awkward moment. "If you'll both excuse," I say, "I'm off to my room."

As I exit the lift, Rico calls out, "I meant what I said, Alexis. If you and Marco mess with me, make me think something is happening, he'll be sorry—you'll both be sorry."

I spin around, walking backwards. "Your concerns are as unnecessary as they are ridiculous, especially when it's more about your own insecurities than anything else."

"It's not an insecurity, Alexis, it's a fact!"

I can't help but smile. "Well, if we're gonna talk facts, then maybe you need to face up to the fact that you're jealous."